How to Fix iMessage Not Syncing Between a Mac & iPhone/iPad

As you probably noticed when configuring iMessage on a Mac, you use an Apple ID during the set up process. This allows iMessage to sync all messages between any Macs and any iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad you may have using that same Apple ID. But this doesn’t always work as intended, and sometimes messages sent to the iPhone won’t reach the Mac, and sometimes messages sent to the Mac won’t reach the iPhone, and a myriad of other similar situations. If you find Messages to not be syncing properly between iOS and OS X, the fix is straight forward:

From the iOS Device(s):

Open “Settings” on the iOS device and tap on “Messages”

Scroll down and tap on “Receive At” which is usually followed by a phone number or email address

Tap the “Use your Apple ID for iMessage” button at the top and sign in

Exit out of Settings and return to the Mac briefly.

From the Mac(s):

Double-check the Apple ID used in Messages for Mac is the same as the iMessage setup in iOS

This problem seems to mostly effect users who set up iMessage on the iOS device a while back but based the delivery and caller ID on their phone number and not their Apple ID. Because Messages for Mac uses an Apple ID and not a phone number, the messages won’t sync. Simple cause, simple solution.

Similarly, if you discover that iMessages aren’t syncing between multiple iOS devices, be sure to use your email address and Apple ID as caller ID and all should be working as intended.

Things still aren’t working? Try this:

Confirm Your Apple ID Mobile Phone Number
Another possible solution is to confirm your mobile phone number with your Apple ID. This has been reported to be a fix for some users who have persistent issues after the above sequences turn up blank.

Under “Phone Numbers” make sure you have the proper cell phone set under “Mobile Phone”, if not enter it and choose “Save Changes”

Try sending a new iMessage, it should now sync flawlessly between all iOS devices, whether it’s sent to or from an iPhone, Mac, iPad. Thanks to Taylor for leaving this last tip in our comments, it does seem to resolve some stubborn problems so give it a try!

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If you go to Preferences > Accounts and click the Plus sign it only gives you the option to add Google, Yahoo, AIM, etc but not another Apple ID.

I also tried adding it in SysPrefs > Mail Contacts & Calendars, and while I was able to add it, it doesn’t get added to Messages and what’s worse, I can’t delete the Apple ID that’s already in Messages… WTF?

What you have suggested will work but it doesn’t change the fact that messages sent to your phone number will not show up on the Mac. Getting all of your contacts to switch to your email address is an issue. Hopefully when ios6 is out this will be addressed.

True. But once you’ve changed the caller ID for Messages on your phone to your AppleID, any messages you send to contacts will have your new (syncable) contact info, so the folks with whom you regularly chat will pick it up quickly.

FYI, it’s fixed in iOS 6. It’s pretty cool to have messages show up within seconds of each other on my MacBook Pro (10.8), MacBook Air (10.8), iPad (iOS 6) and iPhone (iOS 6). What’s more useful is the fact that all your conversations show up on all your devices. No more going from device to device to find that bit of information that was texted to you.

This syncing is very cool…. Like it has been mentioned when the messages sent to your phone thing gets fixed it will be even better.

One issue I have found though is that I would rather messages on my Mac did not automatically pop open and show all my messages! I don’t mind the notification center flashing the notification for a moment. But the app automatically opening and then just sitting there showing all my messages is not cool! I’m a teacher and if I leave my computer on during class because it is hooked up to a projector…. The kids don’t need to see my personal messages on the big screen!

Anyone know how to stop messages on the Mac to stop automatically opening? I want to be able to open when I need it and see messages synced though.

One issue with this is SMS fallback. If someone sends to your Apple ID then your iPhone it cannot revert to a regular text. Ditto when sending from the iPhone to an iTunes ID. In my case iMessage reverts to SMS on a fairly regular basis.

Apple really needs to let us use phone number on Macs and iPads. Better yet, have a much more reliable fallback to email. Right now I have occasionally seen iMessage use email but it’s not consistent and can’t be forced.

I agree with the phone number thing.
The phone number should act as a portal for data across all devices via iCloud. Meaning you can i message and SMS on any apple device, and take calls on any device providing you have an apple phone.
I message is a step In the right direction, but it’s incomplete.

I have the same exact issue as Jonathan (thanks for typing it all out so I didn’t have to) I suppose we just wait for IOS6? I’d rather have no option to sync messages until it works 100% correctly. More of a headache and a tease if you ask me.

this is because you’ve already connected to your Apple ID. If it’s still not syncing, change your caller ID from your phone# to your Apple ID. Going forward, When you send messages they will come from your Apple ID, and responses will sync to all your devices. When you send messages from your phone# they only go to your phone. You can test this by sending a message to your Apple ID. You’ll know you’re in sync if you get echos on both devices. If only your phone gets the echo, your caller ID is set incorrectly.

i’ve been on the phone with Apple about this for weeks, and frankly, i think even they don’t know what causes the unreliable behavior with iMessages…when it works, it’s the greatest thing since sliced bread, in my eyes, and makes me miss the excellent Blackberry messaging system a little less, but when it is unreliable, it makes it all seem entirely mute…because being able to *depend* on a messaging system, is what makes or breaks it for me, since i use it for business as much as for pleasure.

Fine, but when I switch my caller ID to an email address, a person doesn’t have my phone number when I text them and they have iMessage. For example, I met a hot stud at the gym, we went for a HOT coffee, then afterwards, he gave me his iPhone number, and I texted him hello, both of us thinking he would then have my iPhone number. But he didn’t. he had my email address and couldn’t call. bumps in the road of my Game are not cool Apple, not cool.

Valid Point mate.
I find it strange that i can send a test message to my apple ip off my phone and yes i do receive it on my macbook. but the other way around it doesn’t want to work. Updates still need to be required for iMessage. It is in the right direction, just needs the phone number to be the main portal of contact instead of email. Number will always dominate the email.

~!!!I did it and have a fix!!! It’s extremely simple; My iPhone would NOT sync iMessage intuitively with my Mac. It’s now working perfectly. _ALL YOU HAVE TO DO_

Go to https://appleid.apple.com and make sure under phone numbers (Column on left side) you have your cell phone number filled out for all of the columns! Nothing will change other than the fact that iMessage will sync all messages from iPhone, under regular apple ID.

Let me know if this works for you, or you need more assistance.. My e-mail is listed above.
Best of luck,
Taylor Skoda~

I’ve made the changes to show mobile number on my Apple ID account, also checked that I’m using my appleID to receive imessages on both iphone and ipad but a test message sent from my phone still isn’t showing up on my ipad. Both are running the same OS, have the same message settings. It works the other way so when sent from ipad message appears on iphone – have I missed something?

Re. Taylor Skoda’s comment… he put me on track with it, thanks! I actually had the correct number in my cell phone number field in the AppleID information, but I also had that cell number in the home and evening fields. I deleted the home and evening fields and hit save. Right away I got an email from Apple confirming changes to my account, and right after that syncing started to work again (sending an iMessage from my Mac resulted in that sent message appearing in the messages stream on my iPhone 4s). Great news! Thanks Taylor!

Just something to point out, I was having issues getting my iPhone 5 to sync messages with my MBP even though all my iCloud info on both devices were the same. What seemed to help was rebooting my phone. A simple little thing that sometimes gets overlooked

For some reason, my cell phone number had been under the “blocked” tab on my mac, and that is why I was not seeing messages I sent from one device, on the other device! So you might want to check under your “blocked” tab (right next to the settings tab) just in case!